DAR AL HARB - ISRAEL: QASSAM ROCKETS, ISLAMIC JIHADS & DEALS

Abbas deal with Islamic Jihad seeks to end Qassam rocket attacks
By Amos Harel and Avi Issacharoff

Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas has reached an agreement in principle with senior Islamic Jihad officials, whereby the organization would stop firing Qassam rockets at Israel for three weeks.

Israel Defense Forces sources confirmed there has been a sharp drop in rocket fire as a result of the agreement. Other attacks, however, such as sniper fire along the Gaza Strip security fence, have continued on a small scale.

Abbas and other senior Fatah officials have conducted an intensive effort to bring the Islamic Jihad into an agreement on renewing the tahadiyeh (calm) with Israel along the Gaza border. This is an internal Palestinian agreement, and not an accord with Israel.

Islamic Jihad has been the main perpetrator of rocket fire in recent months, and in many cases Hamas militants have given Islamic Jihad their rockets to fire at Israel.

The issue of restoring the tahadiyeh was also discussed in a Damascus meeting this week between former Palestinian prime minister Ahmed Qureia of Fatah and Islamic Jihad Secretary General Ramadan Salah.

It appears that while senior Fatah and Islamic Jihad officials have agreed to halt the rocket fire, Islamic Jihad militants have fired at least one rocket in recent days without taking responsibility for the attack. In addition, Abbas will apparently turn a blind eye to "low profile" attacks such as Hamas sniper fire and mortar fire on IDF outposts along the Gaza Strip.

In recent months, an average of 10 rockets were fired per week from the Gaza Strip into Israel. Last week, only three rockets were fired, according to the YeshaNews Web site, which tracks the number of rocket launches. This week, only two rockets have been fired.

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Islamic Jihad denies agreeing to a ceasefire

Islamic Jihad denies agreeing to a ceasefire GAZA, April 18 (KUNA) -- The Islamic Jihad Movement denied Wednesday agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza as was reported in the Israeli Ha'aretz daily today.

Islamic Jihad prominent leader Nafith Azzam said these reports are false and no one had agreed to stop firing missiles with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Azzam told Palestinian radio this morning that Israel has not offered anything in return for such a deal.

Ha'aretz had reported this morning that Islamic Jihad had reduced the number of missiles fired at Israel after an agreement with Abbas days ago


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1) Abbas deal with Islamic Jihad seeks to end Qassam rocket attacks

2) Islamic Jihad denies agreeing to a ceasefire